9th Circuit Court

Judge Kozinski Writes an Apology, Sort of, Regarding 9th Circuit Conference Site

If they could do it all over again, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals may not have chosen the Hyatt Regency Maui as its 2012 annual conference site. Chief Judge Alex Kozinski recently noted this in a letter (PDF) to Jeff Sessions, ranking member of the Senate…

Aug 6, 2012 6:58 PM CDT

Samsung Calls Apple Bid for Judgment Sanction ‘Frivolous,’ Federal Judge Lets Trial Roll On

Fireworks earlier this week about whether Samsung Electronics Co. had done an end run around a federal judge by providing to the media evidence excluded from a patent trial with Apple Inc. over design of the two companies’ smartphones apparently have fizzled. After a Thursday response by Samsung that described…

Aug 3, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

9th Circuit Temporarily Blocks Arizona Abortion Law

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked enforcement of a controversial new Arizona law that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. On Wednesday, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted (PDF) a request by opponents of the new law to temporarily halt enforcement of…

Aug 2, 2012 10:12 PM CDT

John Quinn Faces Off with Federal Judge in Apple v. Samsung iPhone Case; Apple Seeks Severe Sanction

Updated: A name partner of litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has gotten crosswise with the federal judge hearing the the hard-fought patent case beween Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and counsel for his opponent is now trying to knock John Quinn out of the trial arena.…

Aug 2, 2012 5:37 PM CDT

Ex-Perkins Coie Partner Must Arbitrate Pay Dispute With His Former Firm, Federal Judge Rules

A federal judge in California has put a damper on a would-be class action by a former partner over pay practices at Perkins Coie. An arbitration clause in the partnership agreement between the law firm and Harold DeGraff is binding, held U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S White on Monday. However,…

Jul 31, 2012 10:28 PM CDT

Calif. Lawyer Gets 4 Months, Is Fined $10K, for Using Another Attorney’s ID on Passport Application

A longtime California family lawyer has been sentenced to four months in federal prison and fined $10,000 for using another lawyer’s social security number and a fake state identification card in a 2009 effort to get a U.S. passport. Warren David Camp, 47, is a Canadian citizen. A family law…

Jul 31, 2012 7:14 PM CDT

Samsung Sanctioned in Big-Bucks Patent Case for Not Turning Off Company Email Auto-Delete System

A federal magistrate judge in California who is overseeing part of a big-bucks patent infringement case concerning Apple Inc.’s smartphones has sanctioned Samsung Electronics Co. over its use of its own proprietary email system. Finding that the Samsung system, which automatically deletes email after two weeks unless employees save them,…

Jul 26, 2012 4:48 PM CDT

9th Circuit Says Court Can Consider Ability to Pay, Orders Rehearing re $360K Attorney Sanction

Before imposing a financial penalty that a lawyer might not be able to pay, a federal district court can consider the impact on the attorney, a federal appeals court has ruled, giving a California lawyer—who said he made less than $20,000 annually—another chance to make his case for a reduction…

Jul 23, 2012 7:18 PM CDT

9th Circuit Says $27M Whistle-Blower Award Is Taxed as Ordinary Income

A former chief financial officer for a Montana hospital eventually reaped a $27 million benefit by blowing the whistle on his former employer’s accounting fraud. But James Alderson’s reward from filing qui tam suit under the federal False Claims Act is taxed as ordinary income, not under the lower capital…

Jul 18, 2012 10:51 PM CDT

9th Circuit Refuses to Bite on Mini-Wheats Settlement and a Provision to Feed the Needy

A federal appeals court has refused to approve a settlement involving charitable donations in a class-action suit that alleged Kellogg Co. made false advertising claims about Frosted Mini-Wheats. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the deal because of high attorney fees and cy pres provisions calling…

Jul 17, 2012 2:08 PM CDT

9th Circuit Apparently Responds to Criticism of Maui Meeting by Canceling California Conference

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to save money by canceling next year’s conference after two U.S. senators criticized the court for holding this year’s meeting in Maui. Next year’s conference was to be held in Monterey, Calif., according to a press release. The date…

Jul 16, 2012 11:43 AM CDT

‘Jane Doe’ Sues Feds Over FDA Regs That Require Health Exams for Unpaid Sperm Donors

If “Jane Doe” simply wanted to have sex with a man and get pregnant, the government would have little or no say in the situation until a child was actually conceived and born. But because she is in a same-sex relationship with another woman, she can’t be artificially inseminated with…

Jul 9, 2012 7:06 PM CDT

Producer, Restaurant File Federal Suit Over Calif. Foie Gras Ban; Chef Flaunts ‘Foie You’ Menu

As a California law banning the production and sale of items created from force-fed birds took effect on July 1, the nation’s largest producer of foie gras joined with a state restaurant to file a federal lawsuit challenging the new regime and seeking injunctive relief. They contend the law is…

Jul 5, 2012 10:15 PM CDT

Facebook OKs $10M Settlement in Class Action re User ‘Likes’ in Site’s ‘Sponsored Stories’

Facebook has agreed to pay $10 million to charity to settle a class action suit over the social media site’s inclusion of a user’s “likes” of certain advertisers on “Sponsored Stories” that appeared on other members’ Facebook pages. The plaintiffs contended that Facebook’s use of their names and profile pages…

Jun 18, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

Bar Associations Turn to Lobbying Firm for Help on Judicial Nominations

A Washington, D.C., lobbying firm has an unusual niche lobbying on behalf of judicial candidates. Founded last year by lobbyist Vincent Eng, the Eng Group represents minority bar associations that endorse the nominees, the Washington Post reports. Clients include the National Bar Association and the National Asian Pacific American Bar…

Jun 14, 2012 10:59 AM CDT